HONOKOHAU HARBOR — Scuba diving is popularly connected with the Navy SEALS, not the Marines and Army. ADVERTISING HONOKOHAU HARBOR — Scuba diving is popularly connected with the Navy SEALS, not the Marines and Army. But two veterans from each
HONOKOHAU HARBOR — Scuba diving is popularly connected with the Navy SEALS, not the Marines and Army.
But two veterans from each service have become skilled divers, exploring this week the Kona Coast through the Soldiers Undertaking Disabled Scuba, or SUDS.
Three of the men had lost part of a leg, while the fourth has injuries from a bomb blast.
The SUDS program provides veterans with trips and dives throughout the world, including Puerto Rico, Guantanamo Bay and Kona. They can sign up for training while still in the hospital, where doctors will write prescriptions for diving, said founder John Thompson. After they have their fundamental and pool time in, they join trips at will.
One of the four men involved in this trip is Preston Kaplan, an Army veteran. The four men met after arriving individually at the Kona International Airport and began to build a bond quickly, he said.
This is Kaplan’s fourth diving trip but the first time SUDS — a program that awoke his desire to dive — has brought him to Kona.
Kaplan grew up in the area of Fresno, California, spending time in and around the ocean. But he never thought that scuba was in his future.
A member of the 101st Airborne, he was on his second tour in Iraq when he lost his right leg below the knee. That tour came as a result of the “stop loss” program, where service members were required to serve additional tours.
For the dives, he wears a “swim foot.” A button allows the foot to switch from walking to swimming, locking into place for the dive fin. Kaplan has tried diving without the leg, but said it alters his buoyancy and uses more of the air in his tank.
Although he never had the chance to try scuba before his second Iraq tour, he thinks he moves just as easily with the prosthetic.
Kaplan said the SUDS trips allow him to “escape the world we live in.” Every dive, even at the same site, reveals new things, he said. The experience is indescribable, something that must be experienced.
Diving is freeing for many of the veterans, said Thompson, president of SUDS. They gain a degree of mobility they may have lost and some report the pressure alleviates aches and pains.
SUDS has trained both double and triple-amputees who can discover a different mobility than on land, Thompson said.
The change in noise level is also very important, he said. For veterans with PTSD, the noise of daily life — including traffic and other things most people ignore — can be distracting or painful. That is cancelled out while underwater.
Some research about the use of scuba as therapy has been conducted, including a study that showed it can help reduce spasms.
Kaplan’s wife became involved with diving as a resuilt of his earlier dives, giving them a new “couple’s activity.” Scuba’s insistence on a buddy also helps, he said.
The program is also helpful in dealing with the identity crisis that happens following traumatic injury, said Kaplan. After losing a limb, people may struggle with a sense of who they are, and scuba gives them a point of focus.
The night dive Wednesday was one of the Jack’s Diving Locker Manta Ray dives. The veterans were also scheduled for the Pelagic Magic, where divers wait for whatever comes up at night.
These dives also allow the participants to pick up additional certifications, such as night diving, Thompson said. Some have even become certified instructors.
SUDS started after Thompson’s experiences at Walter Reed Hospital. He said he was visiting a staff member and saw the number of men and women who were injured as a result of both wars.
“I knew that I wanted to do something,” he said. “(I) saw some pretty heavy injuries at that time.”
That was the time of “the surge,” when the U.S. military added more troops to both the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
The current number of casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan is somewhat unclear, in part because of different definitions. The Wounded Warrior Project cites 6,887 deaths, 52,434 wounded and an estimated 720,000 with traumatic brain injures and PTSD.
SUDS is open to more than just the wounded of those wars, Thompson said, covering accidents and injuries elsewhere in the world.
The idea for SUDS developed in steps. The first was when Thompson decided to volunteer at the Red Cross, where he was assigned to the water therapy section. He thought it would make sense to use his dive knowledge to establish the SUDS program, ultimately arranging a trip to Guantanamo Bay. Having been there previously, he had the contacts to make it possible.
Bolstered by coverage from Bloomberg News and HBO Real Sports, the program expanded rapidly. That included service members who were already discharged, along with funding to support the program.
The operation is free to the veterans involved, including airfare, use of the boat, housing and other services.
In Hawaii they have an advantage: A veteran opens his home to the group, Thompson said, which helps the development of a close-knit community.
“They’ve lost that camaraderie,” Thompson said of the feeling of brotherhood military men and women share while serving. He added that getting together helps reawaken that, and within three days, they are acting like they did in the service.
Kaplan is developing his own future. Having studied biology with the original end goal of being a dentist, he’s now reconsidering. One thought he’s had is of becoming a physical therapist and focusing on helping other veterans. But he’s not sure.
The future, like the ocean, is open.
